2 Square Pizzaistro is a place that I would have a hard time getting locals to find. Tucked behind a CVS and sharing a parking lot with a Home Depot, nothing short of its 100% on UrbanSpoon would convince me to stop here for my last meal in the great Tampa area, but sick of fish I was looking for Italian and this place seemed logical and how can I turn down the only restaurant I have been to with 100%? At the time I saw this restaurants page on Urban Spoon, the 100% came from 26 reviewers and I will not be the first person to give it a thumbs down, but is it worth 100%?

When I walked into the restaurant on a Saturday night, the place was empty save for me, the occasional employee heading out to deliver a pizza, and a table of (I assume) regulars that had finished eating and were now digesting over a game of UNO; this is not a great omen for a great dining experience and under normal circumstances, I would have left, especially to be empty on a Saturday night, but the place did not feel empty. The walls are adorned with local artists’ works and everything from abstract images to the comic antihero Spawn watched me pick out my seat.

I think throughout my visit I went through three waiters. The first dropped off my table’s menus and took our drink order. The second brought me the drinks and took our pizza order, and the third brought our food and topped off my guest’s wine. The highlight of the service was seeing my pizza get presented to the table. It truly looked like the only good pizza I have seen since I ate in Rome (which was over ten years ago). The pizza was flat, the crust was a 1/4″ thick, the sauce was thin and light, the cheese seemed fresh and had the perfect amount of give when I gave it a pull, and there was no grease on the top. My toppings were in attendance, maybe a little spare considering their price tag, but after her first piece my guest concluded that this was the best pizza she had ever had.

To me, I found it better than your average chain and I really cannot complain about the pizza, but it is a very safe pizza, nothing I would go out of my way to avoid or consume. There is nothing remarkable about it other than it feels lite and that is not a decision of recipes as much as portions and my decision to get vegetable toppings.

Still, a 100% rating is wasted on this place. If the staff is not on the floor, they are blind to your empty glass, your empty plates, and your naked credit card, so dining here (even if you are the only ordering table) becomes a waiting game. The worst part about it was their refill process. My guest was drinking wine and when asked if she would like another, they did not bring her another glass, but rather topped off her existing glass. Surely they won’t make me pay for 2/3rds a glass of wine, right? Wrong! But it was my last night in Tampa and I did not want to complain. I guess I was in the same position as 26 other guests of 2 Square.